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ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science & Centre for Visual Sciences
Research School of Biological Sciences
Australian National University, Canberra

Target Group: 3rd year, honours and PhD students of Biology, Psychology and Robotics
Topics: Principles, concepts and experimental techniques in animal and robot navigation. Landmark guidance, view-based homing, path integration, odometry, biological compasses and animal migration. Optic flow processing and neuro-ethological robotics.
Lecturers: (Nick Barnes, Andy Barron, Russell Brinkworth, Javaan Chahl, Ken Cheng, Allen Cheung, Matt Garratt, David O'Carroll, Jochen Zeil, Shaowu Zhang, Uwe Zimmer and others.
Deadline for Applications: 26 September 2008
The Summer School is an accredited course. For details, click here.

To discuss requirements & assessment plan, contact Jochen Zeil.
See below for How to Apply. For further enquiries contact Jochen Zeil.

The mechanisms of animal navigation are internationally a hot research topic, not only in biology, but also in robotics. This summer school aims to introduce students from Australia and New Zealand to a fascinating and rapidly developing multi-disciplinary research field. We plan to have daily sessions of lectures, seminars and practical demonstrations, in a discussion-based, round-table environment, on the following topics:

Preliminary schedule
Day 1: Animal Navigation: An Overview of Phenomena and Mechanisms
Day 2: The Knowledge Base of Insect Navigation
Day 3: Navigation by Path Integration
Day 4: Neurobiology of Optic Flow Processing & Spatial Representation
Day 5: Robot Navigation: Engineering Solutions vs Biological Inspiration.

Venue: Robertson Seminar Room, Research School of Biological Sciences (RSBS),
The Australian National University (ANU), Canberra.

How to apply
Please send:

• A covering letter explaining why you are interested in Animal Navigation and a brief description of the research project you are currently working on or which you are planning to do in future. Please indicate in the letter whether you would need travel assistance.
• Your CV, including your transcript.
• One brief letter of reference to: